“Walker threw well, but I think tonight was Kike’s night.”
As much as I want to praise Walker on his phenomenal performance last night -- deserving as he is -- Dave Robert's isn't wrong to point out the obvious. Kiké overshadowed everyone on the field in the same way that R. Lee Ermey stole the show in the movie Full Metal Jacket. Per Rowan Kavner at Dodger Insider:
“It’s a huge value for us, the versatility and what he can do on a baseball field,” Roberts said. “He’s certainly valued. I know myself, I try to figure out ways to get him in every single night, because he just has a way to impact the game.”Photo above via @Dodgers on twitter. Below are more links to check out:
- This Day in Dodgers History: In 1962 Sandy Koufax fanned 18 Cubs at Wrigley Field during a 10-2 win, tying a Major League record for strike outs in a game. In 1998 Mike Piazza tied a Major League record when he walloped his third grand slam of the month during a 12-4 victory over the Cubs.
- Happy Birthday, Harry Harper, Dixie Howell, Bill Singer, Pat Zachry, Bill Krueger & Mike Blowers!
- Podcast: ‘Dugout Blues’ episode 229 – Ryu’s back, Grandal good, prospects (Podcast Links).
- ICYMI: The Dodgers DFA's pitcher Wilmer Font in order to make room for Walker Buehler on the 40-man roster, via Jeff Todd at MLB Trade Rumors. I suspect we'll be seeing a trade soon.
- Kiké praises Buehler's evening, via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com:
"Walker was electric," said former Marlin Kiké Hernandez, who was the offensive and defensive star, subbing at shortstop for Corey Seager with a home run, two singles and a pair of Gold Glove-caliber gems. "We expect that and more from him. We expect a lot from him."Not too often you get drafted in the first round when you need Tommy John surgery. So, this kid must be a stud. He's pretty confident, pretty cocky. Fastball looked like it was 120 [mph] from playing shortstop. The slider looked like 100 as well. It's pretty fun watching, playing behind him. He's got special talent and hopefully we'll see that for a very long time."
- Per Jay Jaffe at FanGraphs; "Matt Kemp Has Actually Been an Asset."
via Statcasst, Kemp has recorded the largest gain in the majors by sprint speed, outpacing last year’s mark by 1.7 feet per second; his 26.6 ft/sec is higher than his top average speeds in any season from 2015-17. (His 25.9-second mark in 2015 was his best.) He’ll never threaten to go 40/40 again, but if the wheels are in better shape than they’ve been in recent years, that should help him on both sides of the ball.
- This mornings Baseball America Prospect Report makes note of Walker Buehler's fantastic day:
Buehler's first start for the Dodgers couldn't have gone much better. He sat at 97-98 mph and touched 100 mph while holding the Marlins scoreless for five innings. He allowed four hits and walked three while striking out five.
- Check out Wax Pack Gods lifelong love affair with this Dodger card. Per Adam Hughes at Wax Pack Gods; "Is the 1957 Topps Jim Gilliam Baseball Card the Best of the Fifties?"
But none of that mattered a whit to me when I somehow got my clammy little mitts on a worn copy of his 1957 Topps baseball card sometime around 1985.It was the most beautiful card I’d ever seen, and I just couldn’t stop staring at it.
I was in cardboard love.
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